700 gallon pond, pollinator garden, native plants. Accessible.

The pollinator garden pond at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL) was built as part of a collaborative restoration effort by the Capitol Area Master Naturalists, the Austin Pond Society, and the Travis County Master Gardeners. The garden was originally established in 2008 as a memorial garden for a former student, Vanessa Stringer. The garden had fallen into disrepair over the years until dedicated master naturalists and master gardeners decided to step in 2023. The pond was rebuilt by volunteers who were supervised by Dustin McCauley of the Austin Pond Society. 

The garden is situated in a publicly accessible section of the field station, where visitors are encouraged to walk about and explore the native landscaping and the various insects that they attract. Within the garden space lies a greenhouse which is periodically used to study various aspects of bee cognition by UT faculty. The garden is maintained by BFL staff and volunteers.

Contact pondtour@austinpondsociety.org